


Frozen Out

by DaisyChainz



Series: Culture Shock [11]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anal Sex, Discussion of butchering, Established Relationship, Huddling For Warmth, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Power Outage, Slice of Life, Snow and Ice, Sort Of, Star Wars Modern AU, Teasing, hunting dogs, manual labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-01-06 05:20:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21221240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyChainz/pseuds/DaisyChainz
Summary: A surprise ice storm keeps Hux and Ben busy.





	Frozen Out

**Author's Note:**

> There are discussions of hunting, both with rifles and dogs. Nothing graphic, no killing involved.

It was a clear sunny November day. The air was crisp and Hux could feel the end of his nose turning red. The little space heater Ben kept in his blind was just starting to warm up; it hadn't chased the chill out of the air quite yet. 

Hux wrapped his coat more tightly around himself and sunk into his chair. With a glance at Ben he suddenly thought of the look he had given him when Hux had walked out of the bedroom dressed in one of Ben's old sweaters. That warmed him right up.

Ben glanced back, the gleam in his eye making Hux think he had the same thought. Instead of commenting Hux said, "the last time I was here we weren't even dating yet."

Ben's expression softened and he nodded. "Not for lack of trying." /lacka tryin'/

Hux blushed a little. "Yes, you were a terrible flirt. I suppose you still are."

"Yeah, if by terrible you mean persistent."

Leaning in his chair towards Ben, Hux took in his face, finally meeting his eyes. "Yes, of course. And it's a good thing you were. Persistent, that is."

Ben leaned over to meet him, breathing over his lips. Hux reached up to brush his cheek. "I knew it would be worth the effort." He brushed his lips over Hux's, then moved to his cheek, then his ear. 

Feeling his breathing picking up Hux nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it's been more than worth it." He could feel Ben smiling against his ear as he drew his earlobe between his teeth with his tongue. 

Finally, Ben drew back to inspect his handiwork. Hux knew his face was flushed, and not from the cold. 

Satisfied, Ben settled back into his own seat. "I guess a few things have changed in the last year."

Hux snorted. "All right, His Lordship of Understatement."

Ben grinned. "Hey, I like the sound of that. You gonna call me that the next time I'm . . ."

They both turned at a sudden noise from outside the blind. Sitting forward they tried to see what was coming through the dry leaves. 

Hux tried not to gasp as a bear suddenly loped into view. 

He glanced at Ben, who was grinning widely. "Well, would you look at that little fella."

It was a black bear, it stopped and curiously rooted around at the base of a tree about ten feet from the blind. Hux got an excellent view as he circled the tree, digging around the base with his paws. It was a little smaller than the black lab they had met in the parking lot of the Peggy's Pinch grocery that morning. 

Hux looked around a little anxiously. "It is rather small. Do we need to worry about a Mother Bear coming along?"

"Naw. He looks big enough to be on his own. Probably just got kicked out of the den by Mamma. Looks healthy enough, must be doing okay for himself."

Hux looked over at the rifle Ben had leaned in the corner of the blind. "You're not going to shoot him, are you?"

Ben threw him an amused look. "I guess that hasn't changed. No, I'm not going to shoot the baby bear. I'm not a monster."

They watched the bear snuffle around the roots of the tree for a few minutes, until he continued on past and out of sight. 

Hux slumped back into his chair with a huff. "Well, that was exciting."

"Woulda been more exciting if he had been a bit more eating size."

"Ben!"

"What? I said I wasn't going to shoot a baby. Eating size ain't a baby." /Eatin'/

Hux made a face. "I know I've watched you butcher animals before. And I certainly enjoy eating them. But there's just something about the thought of watching something die . . ."

He felt Ben's hand on his back. "I get it. It's fine. I only brought the gun in case something really irresistible came by. We aren't in any danger of starving this winter, so I don't really need to put anything else in the freezer right now."

Hux looked at him gratefully as Ben continued. "I just brought you up here to enjoy the woods and maybe see some wildlife. I know you enjoy that."

Taking Ben's hand Hux wrapped his fingers around it. "It is nice to get out in the fresh air; the leaves are still so beautiful. And to spend some time with you." He brought Ben's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles chastely.

They stayed in the blind long enough to drink the thermos of coffee Ben had brought, sharing the cap as a cup. Neither one complained that it was black with no sugar or milk--since they both took it differently 

They frightened a rabbit on their way back down the mountain. Ben paused to watch it go. "It's a shame that ringworms got so bad in the rabbit population. Can't eat 'em no more."

Hux was about to comment when a sound caught both their ears. Hux listen for a moment until the sound of dogs baying became clearer. He looked questioningly at Ben, who just grinned and started back down the mountain. "We're about to have visitors!"

Hux raised his eyebrows but followed closely behind. 

By the time they reached the trailer--their trailer and a double-wide now--there was a pack of hound dogs in the yard. They were sniffing and smelling their way around the property. Once in a while one would let out a long howl. 

Hux paused behind the trailer, wary of the unknown animals, but Ben continued into the yard and was quickly surrounded by slow wagging tails. 

"Hello boys! I know what you're here for!" He waded his way to the garage as Hux came into the yard. A few looked his way but for the most part, the dogs didn't pay him any mind, too busy following Ben and sniffing around the garage. 

Hux poked his head into the garage, as Ben came out with a plastic bowl full of dog food. "What on Earth is going on Ben?"

Ben laughed as the dogs swarmed around him, some of them jumping enthusiastically as he carried the bowl out into the yard and dumped it into two piles. Then he repeated until all the dogs were eating quietly, tails still wagging. 

"See their collars?" He called out from where he was filling a couple more bowls from the outdoor spigot. 

Hux looked. The dogs each had a heavy, camouflaged collar with a small black box attached to it. "Yes. What are those?"

Ben set the water down and a few of the dogs wandered over for a long drink. "They're radio tracking collars. These are hunting dogs."

"What are they supposed to be hunting?"

Ben shrugged and absently scratched the ears of one of the hounds that had come to lean against him. "Probably bear. They catch the scent and get them treed, so the hunger can shoot it."

Hux made a sound in the back of his throat. "That doesn't sound very sporting."

Ben shrugged again. "I mean, it's better than fox hunting where the dogs can kill the fox. At least a bear can defend itself. But yeah."

"I'm not sure that's much better! Poor dogs."

Ben patted the dog and started for the building, being followed by four of the dogs. He laughed. "Ya'll have had enough to eat, go on." They stayed at the entrance of the garage, wagging hopefully. Hux followed him in. 

"Where did you even get dog food from?"

Ben pointed to a box at the back of the garage Hux had never seen before. Then he hoisted a large rock on top of it. "I always buy a fresh bag at the start of hunting season. The box is to keep the mice out."

"Does the rock keep the dogs out?"

"Naw, they can't get past the latches. That's for the coon, he's smart enough to work the latches. Given enough time will probably figure out how to roll the rock away. But for now this keeps the little bastard out." He patted the rock then stood and cocked his head. "And there's Dustin now."

Completely confused, Hux followed Ben back out. "Who the Hell is Dustin?"

"He's the guy at the other end of the radio collars."

As he reentered the yard Hux could hear a truck coming down the driveway. The dogs clustered into a pack and started barking and jumping excitedly. A jacked up Toyota on large tires appeared in the clearing. A man in his early twenties climbed out and greeted the dogs.

"Dustin." Ben stood behind the dogs, arms crossed over his chest. Hux watched both of their body language closely. 

"Solo." They surveyed each other over the excited dogs. Some surrounded Dustin while a few others came back to circle Ben. "I was afraid they would end up here when I turned 'em loose down at Bobby's farm this morning."

"I got no problem with your dogs on my property, Dustin. But you ain't supposed to bring your firearms onto private property when you're collecting 'em."

Dustin turned back to look at the gun rack in the back window of his truck. "What am I supposed to do, Solo? Leave 'em down at the end of the drive? It's not like I'm carrying a gun around and threatening you with it."

"Your friend was last time."

Dustin let out an aggravated sigh and rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah, well he ain't here this time, is he." He pointed to some uneaten food on the ground. "And they'd quit coming around if you quit feeding and watering them!" /feedin' n waterin' 'em/

Ben repeated, "I got no problem with the dogs. Or you. Just make sure that friend of yours stays off my property. Or anyone's property on this road. I don't want to hear he was bothering old Mr Johnson."

Three heads swiveled towards the driveway and the dogs started barking again. After a minute Finn's old beater pulled up into the yard, coming to a stop near the garage. Finn climbed out and waded through the dogs to stand next to Ben. "Everything all right here? I heard the dogs and figured you'd be getting a visitor."

Ben nodded. "Everything's fine. Was just reminding Dustin of the particular laws regarding retrieval of animals from private property." Finn nodded and they all looked at Dustin. 

He shuffled his feet and looked down at the dogs. "Look," he finally said. "That guy got kicked outta the club last year. Y'all weren't the only ones done had trouble with him." Scratching a hound that was nudging him he looked at the three men. "Our club is about the dogs, first and foremost. Most of these dogs is treated better than some people's kids. They love running, and we love chasing 'em. We do our best to respect landowners rights and we know the laws about running dogs. Anyone who joins our group respects that, or they ain't in the group. That guy bothers you again--he ain't with us."

Ben unfolded his arms and nodded. "All right. Then I'm good, as long as we got that understanding." He took a few steps forward and held out a hand. Dustin nodded and met him to shake. 

"All right. Y'all have a good day then." He whistled and the dogs jumped to the back of the truck where a large wooden box filled the bed. Dustin went around and opened the box. When all the dogs were inside he closed it, gave a quick wave and backed his truck back down the drive. 

Ben turned to Finn. "Thanks for that. But what the Hell are you doing here?"

Finn grinned. "My lease is finally up at the end of the month. I still had a few things I hadn't bothered to move or take to the dump yet. Rey had to work today so it seemed like the time."

Ben motioned towards the house. "Why don't you come get the grand tour of the new place, have some dinner with us?"

Finn shook his head. "Can't stay. Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what? We've been in the mountains since this morning."

"There's a big storm moving this way. Supposed to drop six inches of ice on us tonight. Real fast moving."

"Jesus. Well, thanks for the heads up. I oughta go check on Mr Johnson. Make sure he's got everything he needs for a couple days."

"He's good, I looked in on him earlier. But don't need no bread or milk; Peggy's grocery is already cleaned out."

Ben laughed. "Course they are. It'll probably be melted by tomorrow but everyone's stocked up for a week long siege."

Finn told them both goodbye, then headed his old car back to his place. Ben turned to Hux. "Guess we'd better get ready to hunker down for a day or so. There's plenty of wood for the woodstove, in case the power goes out. And I just filled all the gas cans so we can run the generator and use the four-wheeler. That'll make it easier to check on Mr Johnson tomorrow. Can run the chainsaw too. Ice will mean trees and branches down."

They walked back into the trailer, their talk of changes coming back to Hux as he looked up at the vaulted ceiling--in spite of all the other excitement. Ben checked on the crockpots bubbling on the kitchen counter while Hux looked out the window. "It's odd to think about a bad storm when it's so beautiful outside."

"Yeah, hopefully it'll be fast moving, like Finn said. Not linger too long and cause too much trouble."

The clouds moved in before they went to bed, but it was some time during the night before Hux woke to the sound of rain. It had that sharp quality on the roof that spoke of freezing rain. He snuggled in closer to Ben's warmth and went back to sleep. 

The next morning Hux opened his eyes and the room had a white glow to it-- the same kind of light that snow gave a room. He slipped out of bed, he could hear Ben was already in the kitchen, and looked out the window. There was so much ice on the ground it looked like a dusting of snow. He could see that the tree branches were encased in ice. 

As he padded down the hallway he could hear a distant cracking and realized it was tree branches breaking under the weight of the ice. He could still hear the icy rain hitting the roof. 

Ben had already gotten the wood stove going. They had agreed not to use it often as it was such a fire hazard, especially in a trailer. But Ben had wanted it for exactly these situations. Hux admitted to himself that the heat that enveloped the living room was nice. 

He went into the kitchen and wrapped himself around Ben as he fried breakfast. "Good morning." Hux kissed the back of his neck. 

Ben put down his spatula and covered Hux's hands with his own. "Good morning."

"How likely do you think it will be that the power will go off?"

"Truthfully, I'm surprised it hadn't yet. That's a lot of ice out there. The lines can only take so much." He turned off the stove, plated the food and shuffled them both to the counter to put their plates out. Then he turned in Hux's arms. "If the power goes out we won't have no internet or nothing."

Hux grinned. "Whatever will we do?"

Ben shrugged nonchalantly. "Got no idea. Take a nap I guess. Can't think of anything else." Then he kissed Hux, wrapping his arms around him as well. 

A few minutes later he pulled away. "But until then, breakfast is getting cold."

They drank water from the kitchen spigot, but there was a cooler on the counter that they had filled the day before. If the electricity did go out it would mean no power to run the pump for the well. They wouldn't be able to draw water again until everything was restored. Ben had filled another five gallon bucket in the bathroom, and another that was sitting in the garage, just in case.

After they ate Hux went out into the mud room Ben had added off the back door. He collected some more wood to stack on the stone base the woodstove was sitting on. As if on cue, there was a rattling noise and everything shut down. 

Ben looked up at the sudden silence, only the crackling of the fire filled the room. "There it goes." He looked at Hux from where he was sitting on the blue couch. "Better come and huddle for body heat with me."

Hux laughed at him. "Oh really. Is that how we're going to survive this?"

Ben held out his arms. "Seems like a good plan to me."

Hux joined him on the couch, settling in against Ben's side. Ben wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled him behind his ear. Hux looked down at the paper on his lap, lit only by the dim daylight coming through the window. 

"They're going to have bingo at the fire station next week. Is that any fun? I've heard a few people talk about it favorably."

He felt Ben's breath huff behind his ear. "I guess. But I don't think I'll be taking you to bingo."

Hux pulled away enough to turn and look at Ben. "Why ever not?"

Ben grinned at him. "Once I got my permit it was my job to take Grandma Padme to bingo. Now, she was the sweetest, kindest, most patient women you ever met. Until you put a bingo card in front of her."

"She was a little competitive, I take it."

"To say she was highly competitive would be an understatement. That women was downright scary. She would play up to ten cards at a time and if anyone said 'bingo' faster than her, whoo boy. It's a good thing looks really can't kill." /faster'n/

Hux turned further around. "So what exactly are you implying about me with this little tale?"

Ben pulled him back against himself. "Ain't implying nothing. We both know exactly how competitive you are. No implications necessary." He laughed softly at Hux's indignant huff. Then he pushed his nose back into Hux's hair, breathing against him and shifting his grip. 

Trying not to be distracted Hux muttered, "I'm not that competitive . . ." But Ben's hands made him lose his focus. 

*** **

Ben ran the generator off and on throughout the day. Enough to keep the refrigerator running for short periods, and to keep their phones charged. All day long they listened to the sharp crack of tree branches breaking under the weight of the ice.

Miraculously, their phones regained service by that evening, but the power stayed off. They called Ben's family and Phasma to check in. Han was happily ensconced in his garage by the woodstove, and Phasma was apparently at a friend's house. After Hux hung up from talking to her he looked puzzled and thoughtful. "What is it?" Ben asked. "Is Phasma okay?"

Hux looked amused as he answered. "She sounded fine. She's staying at a, uh, friend's place."

Ben cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of friend?"

Hux looked at him, then burst out laughing. "I'm not certain, but I interrupted something when I called. And when I say interrupted, I mean whatever it was continued while we talked." He couldn't help blushing at what he was fairly certain he heard. 

Grinning, Ben winked. "Go Phas. No wonder it was such a short call."

The storm cleared out by nightfall, but the temperature stayed well below freezing. Even with the wood stove going all day the bedrooms were chilly. Hux pulled the comforter off the guest bed and threw it over their bed as well. 

Ben came into the bedroom as he was finishing. "I'm gonna bank the fire, so it won't be putting out much heat throughout the night. I'll get out a couple quilts we can throw on if we get chilly." He rooted them out of the closet and placed them on the end of the bed. Then he turned to Hux and pulled him close. Hux slid his arms up over Ben's neck and brushed their noses together. Ben kissed him, then finished his thought. "Tomorrow we'll go check on Mr Johnson. See how bad the road is. Have to take the chainsaw; can't imagine there won't be trees down in the road." He ended with a 'whoomph' as Hux pushed him onto the bed. 

"I'm cold. Let's go to bed." Hux stripped down to his shirt and boxers. Ben watched him, his eyes glittering in the low light. The room was only lit by the white glow of the ice covered yard. 

They crawled into bed together, Ben spooning Hux as he kissed his neck and let his hands wander. He took his time with him, running his hands under his shirt, down over his legs, kissing his neck and shoulders with a slow, open mouth. 

Long before there was any relief in sight Hux was moaning and pressing himself back against him. He tried to push those hands over his cock but Ben resisted. He tried to reach behind to grab Ben's cock, but Ben pressed it tightly against his ass and didn't let him at it. 

After teasing him mercilessly Ben finally relented and fucked Hux, slowly, from behind. He moved at an agonizing pace, whispering into his hair and stroking his body with the backs of his fingers. He was gentle and soft until Hux was ready to scream and then he finally picked up the pace. He hooked Hux's leg under his arm and slammed into him over and over--his deliberate pace not faltering until they both came hard, shivering from the tension. 

In the almost complete silence of the night, broken only by the occasional crack from the mountain or pop from the woodstove, Hux slept more deeply than he remembered doing in a long time. 

*** **

The next morning Hux woke to the sound of running water. The ice was melting and dripping from tree branches and running off the roof. It was still too early for the sun to have made it over the mountain, but it was already blindingly bright outside the window. 

Ben and Hux put on their cold weather gear but didn't layer up heavily underneath. "We just need to stay dry." Ben pointed out. "It's already about forty degrees, with the sun coming over the mountain. If we have to clear the road we'll get hot real quick."

He fueled the chainsaw and bungee strapped it to the back of the four-wheeler. Before they got on it they walked down the driveway to make sure there weren't any major obstacles before even leaving the property. Hux helped him drag some large limbs off the gravel, but there were no actual trees down. There was a low haze and the smell of wood smoke filled Hux's nose. 

However, once they got into the road and around the bend towards Mr Johnson's, they ran into a road block. 

One of the trees growing over the creek had pulled completely up by the roots, and lay across the road. Ben stopped the four-wheeler and climbed off, Hux joining him as he removed the chainsaw and sized up the tree. It was small enough to step over fairly easily, but big enough to stop the four-wheeler. 

Ben pointed to the opposite side of the road, below the fallen tree. "I'm gonna cut it up into peices, can you roll them off of the road?"

Hux nodded and stood back as Ben, using his sunglasses as safety wear, fired up the chainsaw. 

They cleared just the portion of the tree that was across the road, then continued up. No more trees were down, but there were plenty of large limbs and branches they had to stop and drag off the road. 

Mr Johnson's drive was much like Ben's, long and gravelly, and surrounded by trees. They left the four-wheeler at the road and walked up the drive, dragging branches and limbs off to the side as they went. 

The house reminded Hux of Leia's parent's house, just above where she and Han lived. It was small, just a square divided evenly between the rooms. Asbestos siding and, he was sure lead paint, showed it's age--along with it's general run-down condition.

They walked up onto the porch that ran the length of the small house. There was an upholstered, full-length couch taking up most of the space. They stood and waited after Ben knocked. Every time they had come before they could hear the television blaring from inside; Hux found the quiet disconcerting. After a moment there was a shuffling and Mr. Johnson appeared from behind a creaky door.

Inside was cramped and dark, the only light from a heavy old-fashioned oil lamp next to his chair. The curtains were shut tightly. The sitting room was crowded with far too much furniture, pictures and knick-knacks that were old long before either Ben or Hux were born. The room was also oppressively hot, the woodstove in the corner crackling away merrily. 

Mr Johnson shuffled back to his recliner and sat down creakily. "You boys have any trouble getting up here?"

"No sir." Said Ben, standing near the doorway. They were both dripping wet from the continual shower of melting ice from the forest above them. "There was only one tree across the road. But lots of fallen limbs. Getting outta the holler is gonna take some time."

Peering at them through his thick glasses, Mr Johnson asked, "you gonna try doing that today?"

Ben shrugged. "Might as well. Tomorrow's Monday. I'm sure the resort wants us there today," he grinned, "but it ain't gonna happen 'till tomorrow."

The old man nodded. "Good boy. Tell that old Robert Snoke to kiss your ass. You'll get there when it's safe."

Hux couldn't quite control the snort and found himself coughing. Ben grinned and slapped him on the back. He turned back to Mr Johnson. "You need anything before we head back?"

He waved dismissively. "It's only been one day. If I didn't have enough stores to survive that long I didn't deserve to."

Ben chuckled. "All right then. The landline still down?"

Mr Johnson shifted to reach the old fashioned rotary phone on the side table. Lifting the receiver unsteadily to his ear he listened for a moment. Hanging up he shook his head. "No dial tone."

Ben nodded. "Did you want us to leave you a phone? Somehow we got service on our cells."

Mr Johnson turned his thick glasses back to them. "Young man, there is absolutely nothing I would need to call you about that can't wait a day or two. I'm eighty-five years old. If something is gonna happen, it's gonna happen and calling you ain't gonna make a bit of difference." He added with a grumble, "wouldn't know how to use the damn thing, anyway."

Ben smiled. "Yessir. What about firewood, you need us to bring in some more?"

Mr Johnson had already turned back to the television, even though it was off. "Naw, that nice young Finn fella loaded the porch yesterday. You boys head on back down the road. I'm fine."

As they walked back down the drive Hux shook his head. "I think he embodies the definition of 'crotchedy old man'."

Ben laughed. "Yup. He's reached the age of 'I'm old enough to say whatever the Hell I want, and get away with it'. That's what I wanna be when I grow up."

Hux snorted again. "Isn't that you, now?"

"Naw, that's Phasma now. I aspire." /ah as-PAHR/

"Oh, well. Can't disagree with that." Hux felt a sudden hot flash as he thought about talking to Phasma on the phone the day before. "Mmmm. Yes."

Ben just looked at him knowingly and grinned. They stopped at the end of the drive and looked across the creek and up the mountain. Downed limbs literally littered the slope. Ben squinted up into the mountains, making a humming sound. "Well, that was probably it for the pot plants for the year, if the frost ain't already got 'em."

Given whiplash by the sudden change of topic, as well as the subject, Hux stopped in the middle of the drive. "Did you say pot? As in marijuana?"

Ben gave him an amused, raised eyebrow. "As in marijuana, yeah. They're not Mine. They're not even all Uncle Luke's, though a bunch of them are. Folks have planted plots of pot throughout the mountains for years." He turned and started back towards the road. "Sure sight easier to hide than a still. Grant County is kinda notorious for it. Keep your eyes open the next time we're up on the mountain. You'll probably find some."

*** **

The next day, driving to work was almost surreal. The road was abnormally narrow, as Hux watched the sawed off ends of trees--rings prominently displayed--slip past the slow-moving truck. Branches scratched the side and slapped at the windows. Rivers of frozen run-off from the warm-up the day before covered the asphalt, making the trip even more treacherous. They were on the main road off of 276.

Ben glanced into the back of the truck where he had thrown the chainsaw and a couple of his gas cans. "Not much construction gonna happen this week. Clearing the roads and repairing any damage is gonna be all hands on deck." They continued their slow crawl. 

Glancing back at the road, his field of vision limited by the encroaching forest, Hux asked "is the state going to even get to the side roads? Or is it the resident's job to cut themselves out?"

Ben shook his head. "They did a quick and dirty job just to get the main roads open, but they can't leave it like this. They're gonna have to come back and finish. They'll get to everyone, but it's gonna take a while."

The power was still out, they had passed several electric co-op crews working along the side of the road. The resort itself was partially powered, by large generators. But all the residences were out until power could be restored to the top of the mountain. Ben had already been on the phone with Mr Snoke and most of his crew. Those that had were coming armed with chainsaws and they had a loose plan of who was working where. Hux was determined to stick close to Ben. Most of the people from his office were stuck at home, at any rate. He hadn't even tried calling Phasma again. 

It was a long slow trip, which ended roughly halfway up the mountain road leading to the resort. Ben pulled the truck up behind a few other vehicles that had been left on the side of the road. "Watch yerself." He warned as Hux climbed out onto the icy shoulder. Standing a few feet from a guard rail and a steep drop, Hux had a moment of vertigo as he looked down. After he caught his breath and really looked he saw almost all of the trees had broken branches and, since he was looking down from above, many had broken tops as well. They hung on by splinters, showing ragged, raw pulp wood to the sky. 

"Wow." Ben was standing at the bed of the truck, getting ready to unload the chainsaw. "Imagine if we had gotten the six inches they were actually calling for."

Hux turned towards him and gingerly made his way towards the back of the truck. "What did we end up getting?"

"About three." Carrying the chainsaw and a gas can, Ben headed up the road towards the sounds of men working. 

Hux looked out over the ragged view, holding onto the bed of the truck. Then he followed Ben up the road. 

*** **

They didn't get back to the trailer until long after dark. Ben fired up the generator while Hux checked the thermometer they had left in the refrigerator. 

"Everything here is fine, although it will be good to run the electricity for a while."

Ben worked on rekindling the woodstove while Hux pulled a pot out of the fridge. Placing it on top of the stove he watched Ben work. There was still radiating heat, but definitely not as much as the day before. 

Ben poked the embers a few times, blowing on them and encouraging them with the newspaper they had been reading the day before. 

When it finally flared back to life he closed the door with a heavy clang and started working on his boots. 

"Best start with something out of the pantry, it's gonna be a while before this stew heats up." Placing his boots out by the mud room he joined Hux in the kitchen. 

"Hmmm. First I think I'll fill a pot with some water and put it on the stove to heat."

Ben gave him a tired smile. "S'matter? Gonna make me clean up a little before you huddle for warmth with me again?"

Hux leaned tiredly against him. He was sore in places he didn't even know had existed. "I would kill for a hot shower. But I can make do if I at least have warm water to wash with."

Ben put an arm over his shoulder. "Cold water wakes you right up."

"I have no desire to wake up at the moment. I feel like I could sleep for a week."

Ben kissed the top of his head. "We'll eat and then I'm sending you to bed."

Hux lifted his head to look at Ben. "What are you going to be doing?"

"Taking a container of stew up to Mr Johnson. Give me an excuse to check in on him."

"Well, you're not going with out me."

"You don't gotta go. You're exhausted."

Hux pulled away and put a hand on his hip. Ben cocked an amused eyebrow at him. "Ben Solo, if you think I'm going to go to bed, and let you out into all this ice and falling trees alone . . . Are you insane?"

Almost looking contrite Ben put his hands up. "It's no matter. I'm perfectly capable of delivering a bowl of stew on my own."

Hux glared at him. "Absolutely not. I'm tired, and today it was quite obvious that I spend all day behind a desk and you don't. But I'm not That tired. I'm going with you."

However, as they sat on the couch waiting for everything to heat, Hux did find himself drifting off to a short nap. Ben awakened him with a gentle shake and another kiss to his hair. 

They ate quietly, Hux could tell Ben was exhausted as well. He insisted on putting his warm things back on when Ben was getting ready to go back out.

Mr Johnson led them in, but instead of sitting back in the living room they followed him through a door to the kitchen. 

There was hardly room for all three of them in the cramped space. There was a fridge, a stove, a sink, a tall glass fronted cupboard that clearly served as a pantry, and a dining room table with four old ladder back chairs. One door led to the enclosed porch where Finn had stacked the firewood, another with a curtain over it must have led to a bedroom. 

On the table was another ancient oil lamp, the glass thick and heavy. There was pink oil in the basin. It cast a steady light over the game of solitaire Mr Johnson had laid out over the table. 

There was very little small talk and it wasn't long before they were back at the trailer. This time they stripped down in front of the woodstove, used the hot water to clean up, dressed for bed and nearly passed out. The most enthusiasm either could muster was a slow kiss after they were both dressed again. 

They were in for another very long day. 

*** **

The resort got power back on Tuesday. Hux took his first hot shower of the week in the locker room, and it felt like the biggest luxury of his life. 

The trailer didn't get power back until Thursday. They were already home for the evening and were halfway through eating the take-out from the deli on the mountain. There was a long grinding sound, a flickering of the lights, and they were up and running again. 

It was Friday night before Hux truly felt warm again, for the first time in a week. He let out a loud, contented sigh as he walked from the master bedroom into the living room. Ben was at the kitchen counter and looked out into the living room at him, hands freezing over whatever it was he was working on. 

Hux wrapped himself more tightly in Ben's sweater and sat primly on the couch. 

"It's so nice to be warm again. I think my toes have finally completely thawed out." He wiggled them inside his warm socks. "I think this calls for a celebration." He looked at Ben expectantly over the counter top.

Wiping his hands on his towel Ben came around the counter, his eyes never leaving Hux. He stopped in front of the couch, Hux watching his tongue as he licked his lips.

Finally he managed. "It's no wonder you been cold. Can't run around in nothing but a sweater and socks." /cain't/ "Not this time of year." /time-a year/

Hux held his arms out to Ben and smiled invitingly. "Then come here. Keep me warm."

**Author's Note:**

> The fallout after the storm was based on actual conditions following the East Coast ice storm in November '18. Yikes!


End file.
